Wire-cutting apparatus



Nov.'16,1948. A. WENNERBERG WIRE CUTTING APPARATUS Filed July 3,1945 v v ZSheets-Sheet 1 l ll '1 '1 II Arron/1m NOV. 16, 1948. WENNERBERG 2,454,241

WIRE CUTTING APPARATUS Filed July 12, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 16, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mnarus Western Electric Gompany, Incrporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York- Appiication July 12, 1946, Serial No. 683;.641

This invention relates to cutting: a paratusand more particularly to a wire cutting machine;

An object of this vinvention is to provide anew and eflicientapparatus for cutting wire or strip material into predetermined lengths;

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention,- wire or strip material may be cut into predetermined lengths by continuously pas's'in'g it between a pair of feedrolls which, tone the emerging wire or: strip material into position over a cutting edge formed on a; pivoted member that is resiliently urged toward the. pathof a cutting blade mounted upon and extendingradiallytrom a flywheel: rotating intimed relation to the'feed rolls and on an axis at right angles to thatof the feed rollsand parallelito the'p'ath of movement of the wire or strip material. A. cam surface-on the pivoted member is presented to arrd'enga'ged by the cutting blade totensureproper shearing en'- gagement. The cutting edge and the cutting blade engage once during each revolution of the fly wheel and cut a length oft wire or strip material during each such engagement as long as the wire or strip is being fed by the feed rolls.

A complete understanding oi. the invention will be had by reference to the iollewingv description taken in conjunction wit the accompanying drawings,- in which Fig; 1 is a plan view of one enibodiment oi the invention showingthe gear mechanism for driving the blade -carrying flywheel and the reed rolls Fig; 2-is a fragmentary front elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. -1 iii details of the feed: roll gears and-the pivoted cutting member are inoreclear-ly illustrated; a

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 showing the cutting blade about to engage the cutting edge; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawings, the apparatus is provided with a supporting frame member ID in which the various shaft members are journalled and upon which is secured a block II having a guide hole I2 through which wire I3 is fed into the apparatus. The hole I2 extends through an extension I4 of the block II which is tapered to fit between a pair of feed rolls I 5 and I6 mounted on and keyed to shafts and 2|, respectively. The shaft 20 is fixed in the end of a forked arm 22 of a bell crank lever 23 which pivots on a pin 24 fixed to the fram I0. One end of a tension spring 25 is secured to the other arm 28 of the bell crank lever 23 while the other end of the spring is secured to an adjustable bolt 29 threaded 3- Glaims; (Cl. Mid-+146) into the end of an arm 30 extending from a block 3|. secured to frame Ill. The bolt 29 may be locked at any point bya lock nut 32; When the tension of the spring 25 is properly adjusted,- the feed roll I5 is resiliently urged against the feed roll I6, contact being made between the peripheral faces of the feed rolls which may be rubber covered tobetter grip the wire. To prevent lateral escape of wire from" between the feed rolls, the feed roll Hi is flanged on both sides, the roll I5 fitting snugly between the flanged sides of the roll I6.

yFee'd roll I5is driven by a gear 33 which is fixed to the shaft 2| and meshes with a gear 34 fixed to'the' shaft 20. Shaft 2|, which is journalled iii the frame I0 at 35 and 36, is driven through a helicalgear'lfi meshin with another helical gear 4i fixed upon a main drive shaft 42 journalled in the frame In at 4'3 and 4 4. It will be apparent that rot-ation of the shaft 42 will drive the feed rolls l5 and I6 through the gears AI and 40'. Norrrially the feed rolls-rotate in the direction of the arrows and 46. A belt pulley so is fixedto one end ofi the shaft 42 extending out of the framework I0; Power is transmitted to the pulley from aimotor 5 I by-means oi belts 52.

In order to guidethe wire I3 as it emerges from between the rolls l5 and I'B- along a path coaxial with the hole I2 2, guide trough 53 having a 1 cover. is securely mounted in a channel 55 (Fig.

1 a plate 64: secured to extension: 65 of the block 63. A U-shaped channel It! is formed in the upper end of cutting member 60, the walls I! of the channel acting to further guide the wire I3 coming from the guide trough 53. To present an unimpeded path for the wire, the lower left hand edge I2 (Fig. 2) of the channel I0 is rounded whereas the edge at the lower right end of the channel is square cut to form the shearing edge 6|. A helical compression spring I3 seated in a recess I4 in the block 3| and abutting an offset face I5 recessed in the upper part of the cutting member 60 resiliently urges the cutting member to the right (Fig 2) toward the path of a cutting blade mounted on a flywheel 8| and extending substantially radially therefrom. Movement of the cutting member 60 toward the path of the blade 00 is adjustably limited by a nut 82 which is threaded on the shank B3 of a member 84, the other end of which is pivoted on a pin 85 fixed in a slot formed in the cutting member 60.

3 Th nut 82, which may be locked by a nut 9|, abuts the left face (Fig. 2) of the extension 65 of the block 63.

Camming surfaces 92 are provided at the upper end of the cutting member 60 and the nut 82 is adjusted so that the upper end of the cuttin member projects slightly into the path of the cutting blade 80 which engages the camming surfaces thereby insuring proper shearing engagement between the cutting blade and the shearing edge BI.

The blade 80 is seated in a recess 93 blade extending radially from the center of the wheel. A clamping plate 94 screwed-to the fiy' wheel 8! holds the blade 80 securely in place. The fly wheel 8| is fixed to one end of a shaft 95 which is journalled in the frame I at I09 and IUI and is rotated by means of a gear I02 mounted on it which meshes with a gear I03 on the drive shaft 42 thereby furnishing driving power to the flywheel;

In operating the apparatus, the wire I3 is inserted into the hole l2 until the wire is engaged by the rotating feed rolls and "5 which may be initially spread apart by a manual pull on the end of the arm 28 of the bell crank lever 23. As the wire emerges from the said rolls it is directed through the guide trough 53 over the shearing edge Bl where it is cut in equal predetermined lengths by the cutting blade 89 which cams the cutting member 60 and engages the cutting edge 6 I once in each revolution of the fly wheel 8 I. The length of the wire which is cut off is determined by many factors, for example, the ratio between the gears I82 and I93; the ratio between the gears 49 and 4|; the size of the feed rolls l5 and I6 and the distance between the cutting portion of the blade 89 and the center of the flywheel 8|. Changing any one of these factors will change the length of the wire that is cut by the apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a stock cutting apparatus, a cutting blade having a cutting surface, means for moving said blade in a circular path, a pair of feed rolls operable in timed relation to said moving means for moving said stock into the path of said blade, a cutting member having a shearing edge for cooperating with said blade, means for supporting said cutting member for limited movement with respect to the path of said blade, adjustable means for selectively limiting the movement of said cutting member with respect to the path of said blade, resilient means for urging the cutting member toward the path of said blade, a channel in said cutting member having Walls for aligning said stock, a channel disposed between said feed rolls and said cutting member having walls for guiding said stock, a flange on one of said feed rolls overlapping the rim of the other of said rolls to retain the stock between said rolls, and a camming surface on said cutting member for engagement by said blade to align the cutting edge of said member with the cutting surface of said blade.

2. A stock cutting apparatus comprising a pair of spring pressed feed rollers for feeding stock along a predetermined path, an oscillable cutting member having a shearing edge disposed across said predetermined path, a flywheel rotating in timed relation to the feed rollers on an axis parallel to the path of movement of said stock, a cutting blade extending radially from said flywheel, means for resiliently urging said cutting member toward the path of said cutting blade, and a camming surface on said cutting member for engagement by said cutting blade to insure proper cooperative shearing engagement between th cutting blade and the shearing edge.

- 3. A stock cutting apparatus comprising means for feeding stock along a predetermined path, an oscillable cutting member having a shearing edge disposed across said predetermined path, a cutting blade rotatable about a predetermined axis and extending substantially radially from said axis and so disposed that the orbit of the blade crosses said predetermined path, means for imparting rotation to said cutting blade in timed relation to the stock feeding means, means for resiliently urging said cutting member toward the path of said cutting blade and a camming surface on said cutting member for engagement by said cutting blade to insure proper cooperative shearing engagement between the blade and the shearing edge of the cutter.

AUGUST WENNERBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

